1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new device that may be employed in the medical, physical training and/or rehabilitation field and, more particularly, the invention refers to a new apparatus for rehabilitation and/or re-education of an impaired patient, preferably an individual or patient with dysfunction in the lower limbs, to induce walking movements, develop balance and train muscles, preferably in handicapped persons with gross motor impairments, wherein the apparatus is effective in helping correct the postural (stance) structure and also attaining the exact reproduction of human walking, efficiently inducing the movement of the joints of the foot, heel, ankle, knee and hips, all of them with high participation in the walking movements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For several reasons, an important part of a community is affected by motor disorders or dysfunctions, due to accidental events or to neurological disorders. In any event, in modern communities more and more efforts are being made to incorporate disabled persons to the normal life of the community. The idea is to adopt more effective techniques in order that they may enjoy, depending on the degree of the disability, the autonomy to move among the other members of the community. It is a fact that the degree of dependence affects directly the standard of living of these citizens and, therefore, it is imperative to be socially sensitive to bring to the disabled persons the most modern solutions to cause them to be capable of joining, as long as possible, the normal persons.
The disabilities that affect the lower limbs basically hinder or limit displacement and the two-legged stance. On top of the difficulty or impossibility of walking, there is the loss of reflexes and muscle tone due to inactivity or reduced functionality, the slowdown of systemic functions such as circulation, the contraction of the abdominal cavity that hampers the respiratory and digestive functions and the proper evacuation of the bowels, progressive scoliosis, bone density loss, as well as diverse dermatological pathologies, all effects that aggravate even more the condition and quality of life of the patient.
The technical solutions available to persons with motor dysfunctions, for walking rehabilitation purposes, can be generally classified in mobile and fixed devices that have been aimed at helping patients recover their walking capabilities, without, however, efficiently achieving the right motor coordination, balance control of the limbs and torso, correction of the body posture and strengthening of the atrophic limbs. In general terms, the known mobile equipment uses the patient's own force to move, using devices commonly known as walkers.
One of such mobile devices is disclosed in Document WO 2008058534, to Sorensen Nicolai and Balle Rune, entitled “Walking device for assisting handicapped persons or patients during rehabilitation”. Other apparatus of this type are disclosed in DE 10318929 to Graf Birgit, entitled “Motorised walking aid for assisting disabled person with integrated data detection device for detecting movement data during use of walking aid”, EP 0713692 to Paas Dieter, entitled “Walking training device for disabled people”.
While the above devices may be helpful in assisting a handicapped person to walk and stimulate walking movements, the systems are based mainly on the force that the patient must exert with the upper limbs on the device that serves as a support to maintain the two-legged stance. The devices are a kind of a support or cart moving over some sort of rollers or wheels and the patient must exert the necessary force against the floor to move. It is obvious that the patient must be capable of standing up and walk, at least slightly and this is not possible for patients having strong neurological disorders with practically no muscles in conditions to support the body weight or to move the legs to get a minimal walking distance. In addition, the above systems do not provide any type of step regulation or limb movement sequence. But what is an additional limiting factor in this type of equipment is that not a single one of them provides for correction of the walking gait; they do not develop adequate motor coordination, and they do not allow for adopting the correct postural stance needed for human beings to take steps in the correct sequence to achieve full rehabilitation.
Other devices are disclosed in RU 2306129 to Aliev Gazi Aligadzhievich et al. entitled “Rehabilitation Assembly Provided With Arm and Leg Trainers”; DE 102005051674 to Miehlich Dieter, entitled “Pulling apparatus for use in e.g. rehabilitation device, for muscle exercise ( . . . ) to arms or legs, where power is transmitted to output of motor”, and DE 10258755 to of Haas Siegliende, Bayersdorfer Valentin and Hass Hannes, entitled “Walking exercise simulator with shallow inverted V-profile supported each side by springs and motion dampeners”. These devices provide the patient with the means to strengthen, exercise and avoid numbness, loss of reflexes and mobility of some of the joints, with which a limited rehabilitation is attained. However, while a movement may be promoted, not all the foot, leg and hip articulations are involved and no achievement of postural fitness, motion balance and good alignment of limbs and torso, which is to be desired of any rehabilitation process are provided.
In addition to the foregoing, DE 102005014204 to Steinert Chistoph, entitled “Old person's natural heading movement stimulator produces movement of lower extremity/limb in frequency and with dynamics of walking, where movements of ankle joint is effected in frequency of heading movement”, and FR 2691127 to of Michel Sarciron, entitled “Medical re-training aid to assist patient in controlling feet”, disclose devices to primarily stimulate joints and, in particular, ankles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,798 to Borsheim, discloses an apparatus for rehabilitation of a functionally impaired leg of a patient suffering from paralysis, adapted for receiving also an attendant, both, patient and attendant exercising on a treadmill, with the apparatus comprising leg brackets adjacent to the patient's and attendant's knees, a connecting member coupling the leg brackets to transmit motion from an attendant's leg to a patient's leg. The apparatus also including an ankle appliance having an upper extension and a lower extension proximate the ankle is attached to a patient's foot and an ankle brace is similarly attached to an attendant's foot. Thus, the coordinated leg and ankle movement allows a patient's paralysis damaged leg to duplicate the walking motion of an attendant's leg. The apparatus also uses handrails in the treadmill and a suspension strap to keep the patient in a suspended position to allow leg movement without the hindrance of up to full body weight. This apparatus does not teach neither suggests the possibility of varying the height of the strap to permit the body weight of the patient to be transmitted to the legs to better train the lower limbs supporting at least part of the natural body weight. In addition, the belt of the treadmill runs always in the same direction without guiding the patient's feet to emulate the entire walking movement, namely along a closed loop.
As it can be seen, the state of the art and existing technologies do not offer those individuals suffering from severe motor dysfunctions an integral solution for their rehabilitation, obtaining only partial results. There is no fixed or mobile device that enables these people to rehabilitate, achieve postural fitness, motion balance and good alignment of limbs and torso, with the advantage of strengthening and working out the muscle system, tendons and circulatory system, as well as all the joints involved in the walking activity, supporting the patient's body weight in an adjustable pattern, all in a single device.